1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a foot pedal door opener device for a reach-in cabinet having a door hinged on a first side of the housing opposite the opener and open on a second side of the housing having the door opener, thereby swinging outward. The foot pedal door opener device allows a user to open the door while their hands are full, and thereby enter and access the interior of the cabinet with a minimum of effort and inconvenience.
2. Description of Related Art
Foot pedal door opener devices for various types of cabinets, such as, for example, refrigerators, freezers, and the like are well known in the art. An example of a known pedal operated door opener device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,837 to Morrissey, Jr., which uses a single foot pedal mounted within a compartment below the storage area and door of the cabinet. However, because the foot pedal is mounted within the compartment, an opening in a front region of the compartment is required so that the foot pedal may be placed within the compartment. As such, the foot pedal is difficult to retrofit to existing cabinets. Additionally, the space necessary to house the foot pedal may not be available in the existing cabinet. Furthermore, because the operating rod of the Morrissey door opener does not contact the door of the cabinet but rather pushes against a contact member attached to the bottom of the cabinet door, a significant amount of hardware and assembly is required, thereby increasing the time and cost associated with installing the door opener.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,823 to Perrill describes a cabinet door opening means that uses a pedal to open the cabinet door. The door opening means requires the construction of compartments that extend in a vertical direction of the cabinet to house the opening means, which increases manufacturing costs as well as compromises the integrity of the cabinet structure. When the pedal of the door opening means is depressed, a slide opening rod within the vertical compartment raises a slide which opens the cabinet door.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,508 to Tillman discloses a foot pedal operated door opener for a cabinet having a horizontal pivot rod requiring a mounting bracket for each end of the pivot rod that is mounted to the cabinet. A foot pedal at an end of the pivot rod is offset from the opening of the door. Therefore, the foot pedal of the opener must be actuated from behind the door, which requires a user to walk along the side of the cabinet and depress the pedal to open the door. The user must then walk around to the front of the cabinet to access the interior of the cabinet.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,416 to Rainey et al. shows a foot pedal door opener device designed to be used with a two-door cabinet. In operation, the door opener device is used in a cross over fashion to open alternating doors. In other words, when the left pedal is actuated, the right cabinet door opens and when the right pedal is actuated, the left door opens. Further, the dual pedal nature of the door opener renders the device incompatible with cabinets having anything other than a two-door configuration.